Highlights from Higher Ed: Attrition and Nontradition

May 18, 2018May 18, 2018

35

That’s how many free credit hours are awarded to students at Marion Technical College in Ohio if they complete at least 30 hours of college-level courses in the first year while earning at least a 2.5 grade point average. The college created this program as an incentive for more students to complete their degrees, a move that represents the shifting focus from student access to program completion.

30%

That’s the percentage of African-American students who had more than $100,000 in student loan debt in 2016, nearly three times the rate of white students. Family resources are most likely the largest contributing factor, but a new study examines the disparities between students of different races, ethnicities, locations and student loan debt.

50%

That’s how many students begin at four-year colleges but take six years to earn their degree. As a result, admissions offices are becoming less “gatekeepers” to education and more “caseworkers” who need to make sure students will obtain their degree (and obtain it on time).

15%

That’s how many students fit the “traditional undergraduate profile” in 2015, compared to 35% in 1985 (a student in 2018 is more likely to be a female attending a four-year public college full time, while living off campus and graduating with debt). The Washington Post examines this disparity through a “day in the life” of two students from opposite ends of the income gap.